Tuscola is on a 19-game streak of home losses (dating back to last season), Smoky Mountain a 15-game streak of away losses (dating back to last season), but someone's luck is about to change. The Tuscola Mountaineers will take on the Smoky Mountain Mustangs at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
On Tuesday, Tuscola came up short against Pisgah and fell 76-63. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Tuscola in their matchups with Pisgah: they've now lost eight in a row.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Peyton Ollis, who scored 17 points along with six rebounds and two steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Jed West, who scored 21 points along with three steals and two blocks.
Meanwhile, Smoky Mountain also suffered a loss in their last game, but this one to West Henderson by a score of 75-67. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game two weeks ago (64), Smoky Mountain still had to take the loss.
Cameron Fowler put forth a good effort for the losing side as he scored 14 points along with six rebounds and three blocks. He continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Lane Wike, who scored 13 points along with two steals.
Tuscola's defeat dropped their record down to 1-17. As for Smoky Mountain, they have not been sharp recently as the team's lost eight of their last nine games, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-17 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Tuscola have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 24.3 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Smoky Mountain struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Tuscola didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Smoky Mountain in their previous matchup back in January, but they still walked away with a 62-58 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Smoky Mountain's Custer Prenger, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 14 rebounds. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Tuscola still be able to contain Prenger? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
